Through Your Eyes
by Low Entropy
Summary: She had been asking to 'see' him since the first week they met. The minute he realized how she 'saw' someone, with her delicate fingers grazing the person's face, Derek knew he wouldn't want her to stop.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone and thank you for your curiosity! I just want to say that I'm new to this and I have no idea how this site works. I got this idea from a picture (which I cannot seem to insert here but will put on my page). I'm not familiar with blindness and I don't mean to offend anyone. Anyway I'll shut up and let you read. Just don't kick me; I'm a baby to fanfiction!**

Disclaimer: I do not Own Life With Derek. If I did, it would not be a kid's show…

**ooo**

The first time she asks to' see' him, he laughs. They are at their parents' wedding reception and he was given the job to be her eyes. That way they could get to know each other (the sugar coated version for forced to by George).

She was sitting adjacent to him at the restaurant, eyes off towards his left. They had been bickering about the choice of seating and something about food selection (Derek) when she suddenly brought up the topic.

"So when are you going to let me see you?" she asked, her eyes moving to his shoulder. Casey couldn't help herself, the girl was curious. His voice was appealing and he spoke with wit that was opposite of hers. When she first met him briefly at the café, he gave off this vibe she had never felt towards her before. It was exciting and dangerous at the same time. Her mother tried to describe him to her, but she couldn't picture him. It wasn't until Lizzie said he was considered cute that she became interested.

So now here at the wedding reception where he was no doubt forced to spend time with her and be her guide, she decided to ask the question.

" So when are you going to let me see you?"

If she could have observed him, she would have detected the hesitation in his eyes. But Derek being Derek, laughed at her inquiry and patted her hand on the table.

" In your dreams McDonald" his leaning form exclaimed, causing her to furrow her brows.

" You do realize that to me you're just a faceless head," she protested, slipping her hand out from under his. When the hell did he leave it there?

" And why would that bother me?" he asked, flexing his fingers under the table to remove the tingling sensation from his previous actions. The girl was all dolled up for the wedding. She looked even better than she did at the café and rehearsal dinner. The idea of Casey looking beautiful should not, he kept telling himself, be in his head.

She smirked, a genuine smirk that could top off his if she were able to see it.

" Well from what I found, you're an egotistical hockey jock that takes pride in his physical appearance. Faceless is not in your definition," Casey leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms and legs in the process. (He tried not to stare at the black strapless dress curve to her movements). The eyebrow above her right eye ascended as her orbs gazed at his chin.

" And you learned all this in three meet ups? Either you're stalking me or you're just plain weird," Derek smirked, folding his arms across his chest and leaning back in his seat. Casey straightened up, giving him a you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me expression.

" I'm blind, dumbass. How can I stalk you?" she retorted, eyes moving higher up his face. She still couldn't get to his eyes though, and for a brief moment he wondered what it would look like if she got the correct position. Her milky gray-blue pupil less orbs were captivating enough, but having them stare directly into his brown ones must seem like he was staring the blue planet from a zero gravity perspective.

" Right, then you're just weird" he stated, keeping his eyes on her cheek to restrain himself from looking any higher. She may be blind, but those orbs were intense.

Casey huffed in annoyance, eyes rolling to the ceiling in the process. He may sound interesting, but he was a big pain in the ass. And she came to realize that she would be living with him.

" I have to go to the bathroom," she said, standing up and feeling her way around the chair. Derek smirked to himself, never having so much fun getting under someone's skin. Allowing her to take his elbow, he lead her to the bathroom doors, Casey threatening to castrate him if he sends her into the wrong one. She reads the Braille by the door before entering. He just laughs and shakes his head before leaning on the opposite wall to wait.


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, thank you for the reviews! I thought I wasn't to get any to tell you the truth; makes me want to pat myself on the back. Alright this is the second chapter and I had a bit of trouble with it because it was hard to capture Derek and Casey's character. I originally planned to make this a one-shot but it took forever to write and knowing me I would never post it up. Oh and before I start, I just want to say that I won't entirely follow the show. Some parts will be included and others not. Again, sorry if I offend anyone, it was not my intention.**

**Rated T for some mild language.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Life With Derek…but a girl can dream, right?**

**ooo**

The second time she asks to see him, he doesn't get to answer because their parents interrupt them. He was locked in the bathroom during the party he threw the first time their parents went out when she came barging in yelling his name.

" Derek! Would you please explain to me why there are a bunch of people hanging out in the living room!" Casey shouts, the door quickly swinging to close. He bolts for the door, vocalizing his protest with a " No wait!" followed by a " Damn it!" as the door slams shut. Casey, having no clue as to what is going on, rotates on the spot to face him.

" What are you complaining about?" she asks, eyes fixating on his back. Derek sighs and turns to face her after failing to grab hold of the doorknob in time.

" It's locked," he mutters, hand running through his hair.

" Locked? How the hell…never mind," she shook her head at the question. Casey came to realize that with Derek everything was complicated and it needed no explanation.

" Well have you tried picking the lock?" she asked, folding her arms and looking into his general direction. Apparently, he had gravitated to the sink.

" With what Casey?" he asked incredulously, arms gesturing out to the room for emphasis. He knew she couldn't see it, but it was a motion people always did. Casey rolled her blue orbs and pulled something out from her hair, the brown curls that were tucked behind her head falling to her shoulders.

" Here," she said, extending a bobby pin out to him. Without a word, Derek snatched it from her fingers and moved past her to insert it in the keyhole. Shifting to his knees, he began to twist the metal piece.

" I don't hear anything," Derek said, jiggling the pin a bit more than necessary. Casey sighed from behind him, breath hitting his neck in the process. _Oh shit_ he thought.

" Move over!" she exclaimed as she pulled him by the back of his shirt and dragging him away from the door, a small grunt escaping his mouth. Pressing her ear to the wood, Casey began fiddling with the hairpin.

" This is pointless. There's an awesome party going on down stairs and I'm stuck here with you!" he complained, sitting on the edge of the tub.

" You got any better ideas?" she snapped, giving up on the doorknob as she stood and placed a hand on her hip, eyes on the tile above his head.

" Yeah, I could use your head to bang the door open," he shrugs and places his elbows on his knees as his hands entwine between them.

" Very funny! Hope you're still laughing when my mom and George come home to a house full of teenagers. Besides, the door opens towards us idiot!" Casey retorts, crossing her arms as she leans against the wall.

" Oh God," Derek whimpers as he drops his head between his knees and grabs at his already disheveled hair.

" You take full blame for this Venturi. There is no way in hell my mom will pin this on me!" she declares, pushing herself off the wall before guiding her way over to the sink.

" Like your mom would believe her perfect princess would do something like this," he scoffed, raising his head and standing up to pace the bathroom floor. Sitting there got him thinking and he was not going to succumb to that. Casey turned to him, eyes scowling somewhere by his knees.

" I am not a princess!" she sneered, straightening up her posture and lifting her chin a bit. He guessed she was going for intimidation, with her eyebrows creased producing small dimples above them. Yet her attempt to challenge him wasn't all that threatening, it was entertaining.

" You keep telling yourself that," he countered as he turned and continued to pace the restroom floor.

In physics, it is taught that momentum is a result of a mass times its velocity in either an elastic or inelastic collision. In Derek's case, the inelastic collision of the towel at velocity V with the combination of the towel's mass M caused his head to jolt back with momentum P.

Pulling the towel off his face, Derek narrowed his eyes at the culprit standing a few feet away. How she hit her target he will never know, but once that towel wrapped itself around his face, the invitation was out to retaliate. Grabbing the nearest object by the tub, Derek slowly walked over to the brunette who's eyes were mirrored his.

" You want to try that again, Princess?" he stated in a low solid tone that sent small bolts of electricity down her spine. The cool breath on her cheek didn't help either.

" I am not a Prin…" her words were cut off as a cold gel like substance hit her neck and oozed down her shirt. Letting out a yelp of surprise, Casey flung her arms out to block the preceding goo that Derek was swarming onto her. As she grabbed an unknown bottle from the sink, she began to drain its contents onto the boy in front of her. Soon they were on the floor, legs flying, arms pinning, and torsos twisting to gain the upper hand. Eventually the quarrel ended, resulting them to sit in the now slippery bathroom floor facing each other.

" Why the hell are we even fighting?" Casey panted, swiping her fingers across her chest to remove the liquid gel from preceding any further down. Derek shrugged and pulled his fingers through his now soggy hair, smoothing out the locks that stuck out in odd directions.

" Because that's what we're suppose to do?" he replied, his words coming out in uncertainty.

" You really think so?" Casey whispered, finally catching her breath to speak properly. Derek, not expecting her question, flicks his gaze up to look at her. The blue orbs he's had trouble ignoring were focused on his bent knee beside hers.

" Well," he started, swallowing the small lump in his throat (why is it so hard to talk so seriously?).

" How else do two teenage step sibs 'get along'? Not to mention one of them is blind, no offense." He continued, leaning on his knees in exhaustion. Casey smiled softly as he added the last part. He was the first person, let alone guy, to treat her as if she were normal, like there was nothing wrong with her. Yeah he teased her, but never about her sight. And whenever he mentioned her blindness, it was always done good-naturedly.

" Casey," he interrupted her thoughts and she quickly shook them out before humming out a sign she was listening.

" How…"he paused, unsure if he should continue. But he figured he might as well; he had to find out at some point. " How did you become blind anyway?" he asked, twirling his fingers together as his eyes roamed her face for any negative emotion. There was none. Casey pursed her lips in contemplation before replying.

" My dad and I were in a car accident when I was nine. He had picked me up from one of my dance classes and we were crossing an intersection when a car ran a red light," she paused and slowly licked her lips before continuing. " Our car ended up flipping over and I hit my head pretty hard. The doctor said I damaged my occipital lobe, causing permanent blindness. My parents spilt up a year later. None of them were the same after the accident. I think it was mostly because my father blamed himself for it," Casey broke off in silence, leaving Derek to mull over her words. He was about to ask another question when she beat him to it.

" I know it's not in your interest, but I would really like to know what you look like," she blurted out, causing him to blink in contemplation. But before he could answer, the restroom door burst open, making both teens jump in surprise. George came stumbling into the room, Nora behind him, as he found Derek and Casey by the tub.

" Great," Derek mumbled, enough for Casey to hear. She immediately realized that chaos was about to erupt.

" What the hell is going on!" George practically yelled, surveying the room before glaring at his oldest son.

" Here we go," Derek muttered as he stood up, talking Casey by the elbows to pull her up as well.

After all the lecturing, and to his surprise Casey's confession to taking part of the blame, Derek sat there for a moment to think. (Yes he's thinking, but only because his blind, persistent, pain in the ass yet beautiful stepsister is sitting next to him no doubt waiting for him to speak). He realizes how, dare he say, intimate their conversation was in the restroom and knew that things would be extremely different if he let her believe it would stay that way. So using one of his best attributes, he lies; proclaiming that she fell her his act and left her to deal with the messy living room. He felt bad, of course he did, but in his defense he pays Edwin five bucks to help her clean. And when she comes in his room (after stumbling over a few items on the floor) with a black plastic bag full of trash and dumps it on him, he can't help but smirk and believe he kind of did deserve it.

**Ooo**

**Alright that's chapter two! I had trouble with Casey's story. I think it needed something. If anyone has a suggestion, let me know. Next week I start classes (Chemistry, ugh!) so it'll take longer to update. Thanks for reading :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**So far so good. Chapters are getting longer so I hope I'm at least satisfying you readers! This chapter was a little more difficult than the last one, but I tried my best and will promise to write and update better chaps! Thanks for the reviews, they mean a lot!**

**I don't mean to insult or cause pain.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Life With Derek or anything I mention in this chapter.**

**ooo**

The third time she asks to see him, he scoffs and ignores her. It was a few months after she and her family moved in, after his best friend took interest in her and the male code was breached. He was angry and he couldn't find the exact reason why.

She followed him to his room, after he gave the ok for Sam to date her. It took a few seconds more for her to reach his room, but because their rooms were back to back, she easily slid her hand against the wall till it hit his doorframe.

"What do you want, McDonald?" Derek muttered over his shoulder before landing on his bed face first. He was tired and he couldn't bring himself to look at the girl before him. Even if she couldn't see, Derek was sure that Casey had some freakishly sixth sense of reading someone's expressions through sound. He's not going to take his chances and talk to the pillow instead.

"I know you'll deny it and fuss about your rep on being as manly as possible, but thank you...for what you did," Casey said. She played with the hem of her shirt, eyes on the edge of his bed. Derek peeked out of the pillow to gaze at her form standing in the middle of his room.

"For what exactly?" he questioned, already knowing what her indication was.

"For letting me date Sam. Even if your male code was not total bull, which I still think it is, I appreciate it," she explained, tucking a strand of her brown hair behind her ear. (Something he decided should never be done in front of him again).

"Yeah well, I didn't do it for you. I did it for Sam," Derek said as he turned his head back into the cave of his pillow.

"Regardless, I still appreciate it," her voice was muffled due to the cotton puffed pillow he stuffed his face into. After a few seconds, he pulled himself up to see Casey still standing there, a small smile on her pink lips. (Yeah, he noticed).

"Why are you still here? Be gone you crazy woman!" he protested. He wasn't sure if he could take anymore of this I-thank-you's and I-appreciate's from her.

Casey slightly jumped as his words echoed the hollows of her ears. Over the years, she had developed a high sense of hearing and new people could be a bit too loud for her to take. She knows it's not the person's fault for speaking at such a high frequency, but since she has yet to grow accustomed to the Venturi family and because Derek is already loud as hell, she still is sometimes surprised by the sound hitting her ears at such amplitude.

"Derek!" Casey hissed, stomping her foot in the process (to which he did not, in the slightest, find cute).

"Could you lower your voice an octave? I can still hear it ringing!" she continued as she rubbed her right ear with her palm. Derek simply smirked and said some smartass comment on her keener hearing to which she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.

"What do you want?" he tried again, sitting up fully on the bed, sheets spilling over to the floor.

"Well..." Casey flicked her dark milky gray-blue orbs to her feet, or what he thought were her feet. Her eyes never 'saw' anything therefore he couldn't figure out what she was 'looking' at. It was like watching someone stare off into space, waving a hand in front of him or her to get his or her attention. At first, it freaked him out because he always held eye contact. That was him, the attention holder. Then she came along and he didn't know what to do, or what to look at. Yet as the weeks went by, he started to watch her and watch her he did. Because Casey couldn't hide her expressions and he could make that pretty little face of hers change all the colors of the rainbow on the emotion wheel. It was fascinating.

"Spit it out!" Derek ordered, anticipating her question. He had an idea, but he wanted to make sure he was on the right track. Casey huffed, pupil less eyes turning towards the ceiling again. _If she keeps doing that_, he thought, _they'll stay that way_.

"Look, I know it's a lot to ask, but hey, I'll take the chance and ask anyway. Sam has already let me see him, why can't I see you?" she finished, her gaze returning to his bed.

Yup, he was definitely on the right track. And damn Sam for letting her see him. He didn't want Casey to know what Sam looked like for reasons he dare not say. _I'm gonna have to kick that bastard's ass tomorrow_ he thought.

A sharp noise came out of his mouth, as if he attempted to cut off a snicker before it escaped his lips. Standing up from the bed, Derek strode around her and headed out his room towards the staircase.

_How dare she_ he thought. How dare she ask that after what he did for her. It was like attaching a Twinkie to a stick, harnessing it to a chubby kid's back as he tries to grab it while all the other little plump kids sat, Twinkie in hand, and watched.

He suddenly realized that Casey had been following him and, because of her disability, she couldn't descend the stairs on her own yet. Derek abruptly stops in front of the stairs, causing the girl behind him to bump head first into his back. Her forehead knocks him right between the shoulder blades as she lets out a small 'oomph'. Casey fumbles back a bit to gain her balance while Derek turns to face her.

"Jesus Casey, don't you use your hands?" he exclaims, pulling her hand off her forehead to guide it to his right elbow.

"I didn't think you were going to stop like that!" she protests. The grip on his elbow tightens as they slowly descend the stairs.

"Well why don't you use the stick?" he asked, the question coming out like he was scolding a child in the I-told-you-so manner. He watched her feet shift down one step at a time as Casey replied a few seconds later.

"I don't like to use the stick. I'll do more damage than anything," she said and he tries hard to stifle a laugh that wants to escape his mouth. She is clumsy and half the time he knows it's not because of her disability. The girl could walk around furniture one day but trip over her own feet the next. Give her a weapon and who knows what kind of anarchy she'll bring.

_No, you're mad_ he thought _Remember the Twinkie!_

Derek had always wondered why Casey never did carry the stick, apart from her poorly coordinated physicality. During school hours she had a guide, a twenty-four year old college student named Mikaela who was majoring in special education. But once she got home, the arms were out and the hands were touching. It was mostly Lizzie who guided Casey around the house and out in public, Edwin occasionally and Marti once or twice. It was rare when he did it, only caving in when no one was there to take the job.

"Derek!" Casey urged, snapping him out of his thoughts. They had reached the bottom of the stairs so he slightly shook her hand from his arm and turned to face her. Derek knew what she was pushing for, because he ignored her when she asked upstairs and Casey doesn't like to be ignored. (And it's not because of her incapability to see). Shifting his eyes to watch her cross her arms, he decides to speak up.

"Casey, Casey, Casey. I just let you date my best friend. I think that's enough of generous Derek for a few months." He smirked; arms mimicking the position the girl had hers in, folded over chest. His reply from her was a sigh of annoyance followed by an eye roll. (She has got to stop doing that; it's driving him insane!).

"Of course! Why do I even bother?" Casey muttered. She turned on the spot, hair slapping him in the face as she did so. He spits out imaginary Casey locks and jumps into his recliner, turning on the T.V in search for a good hockey match.

**Ooo**

**Third chapter down…I-don't-know-how-many to go! Alright, I have a rough draft of chapter four but I'm going to spend more time on it. So it might not be up soon, besides my dad's b-day is tomorrow! Thanks for reading :]**


	4. Chapter 4

**So Chapter four is up and it's too freaking hot to do anything! Hope you all are having a great summer because I can't stand the heat! Dad's b-day was nice. I got him an AC/DC shirt which he wore today for work **** Enough of this! I'll let you read…**

**NotAWriter16: Thank you and I'm not sure how many times she'll ask. I'm debating if I should do nine chapters. It's kind of like how he wont let her hug him in the episodes, so it'll probably be a while.**

**ZenNoMai: why thank you! And I know how you feel, but think of it this way; the longer it takes for an update, the longer the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Life With Derek…but I wish I did.**

**ooo**

The fourth time she asks, he stares at her for a moment before flicking her forehead and replying with a simple 'no'. It was after he revealed that two-timing coach of Lizzie's soccer team. He didn't know entirely why he had to let Casey find out, apart from the bastard being, well, a bastard. Derek knew it was wrong. Hell, he doesn't even dip in those waters. But it was mainly the fact that the idiot did it to Casey, his annoying ass BLIND stepsister. The way he saw it, cheating on someone you know can't see it, is a very low thing to do.

Derek doesn't even know how the hell Casey found out that he was the one to intentionally tell her through Marti's dialog about Lizzie's playboy coach. But she did and now she was following him up the stairs (slowly he will add) and barging into his room.

"Do you ever knock?" he said from his seated position on the desk chair, headphones around his neck.

"What? Afraid I'm gonna see you naked? Besides, you never knock when you enter my room, I'm the one who can't see," she retorted, her eyes on his computer. The corner of his lips turned up in a smirk as she spoke. True, he had barged into her room a few times to try and catch her in a state of undress (he's not gonna lie, she has a nice body). But she didn't need to know that, nor will he ever admit it.

"What to you want," he continued, moving out of his chair and removing the headphones to walk around the desk.

"Well first, to thank you. I know it was you who told Marti to say those things about Scott," she started as her blue orbs moved towards his bed next to them. If there's one thing Derek knows how to do well other than lying, is to deny deny deny.

"I don't know what you're talking about Space Case," he objected, folding his arms against his chest and staring intently at her features.

"Oh really? Well does ' Out of all the girls Scott is going out with, I like you the best Casey' or ' Scott is a Mr. Stinky Poop Head that kicks girls around like he does a soccer ball' ring a bell? I'm not stupid Derek. I think I've grown to know that Marti only listens to you," she explained, crossing her arms over her chest as well, her pupil-less eyes focusing on his right shoulder. " Besides, after my accident I've learned to pay attention to sound and personality through voice. And the way Marti talks is different from what she said about Scott," she finished, eyebrow rising in the process.

Great, more reasons to kick his own ass.

"That's nice keener, but what's the real reason why you're here?" he exclaimed, directing the conversation away from that touchy family moment she was going towards. No way in hell was she his family (come on really, Casey his sister? I think not.)

She sighed, her cool breath hitting his throat that left the hairs on the back of his neck stand. She wasn't supposed to do that to him, make his body do things like that. Derek quickly brought a hand to rub the back of his neck, removing the evidence.

"I wanted to ask if I could see you. It's been months already and I have no clue what you look like," Casey said, her body language shifting from confident to unsure. Her milky gray- blue orbs moved lower to his chest. He stared at her. Not entirely sure what to do. Part of him wanted to let her, she was pleading with him to do so by the way she stood before him. But there was another part of him that said not yet, the part that told him to wait till he's able to control himself.

He wished he could strangle both parts; they're giving him a headache.

Coming out of his thoughts, Derek blinked for a few seconds before lifting his right hand and flicking Casey's forehead with his middle finger.

"No," he simply stated, turning around to lie on his bed. Casey, startled by his actions, quickly lifted her hands to rub the spot on her forehead (which he fights to label adorable).

"Why!" she exclaims, palm pressed to her forehead as the other reaches out for the bed. Her knees hit the edge and she stumbles a bit to gain her balance. Derek watches her in fascination.

"Because you're looking for a family moment and you and I are not family," he half lies, pulling out a magazine from the covers.

"Is that why you won't let me see you? Because you don't want me in your family?" she asked. Her eyes were shifting from a point on the bed to his ankle.

"That's not what I said," he began, dropping the magazine on his lap to look at her. Casey turned her head in his direction as her eyes landed on his right shoulder.

"Then what _did_ you say?" her fingers twitched at her sides and for a brief moment, he wondered if she was aching to hit him. He has been told, numerously by her, that sometimes his actions made people want to smack him upside the head.

"Listen Case, what I want to do with my body is my decision. AND before you say that that sounds wrong," he raises his voice slightly a he watched her open her mouth to interrupt. "I choose not to let you touch me. Other than the occasional guide me here and there thing you need," he finished before lifting the magazine back up and reading where he left off. It was quiet for a moment, allowing him to read two lines from the article in his hands. But nothing stays quiet when Casey is in the room. With him and her combined, it's not pleasant. Especially with the lungs she has. Everyone seems to scatter when one or the other enters the room, like a black hole will form and swallow them if they stay too long.

"But what if something happens and I need to identify you? Or you go missing or locked up in jail!" Casey suddenly protests as her arms wave about before falling to her sides.

"I mean think about it Derek..." he tunes her out and sighs deeply.

"Oh for the love of..." Derek drops the magazine, flings his legs over the edge of the bed and stands up. She's still yammering and when he ducks down, shoulder to her stomach, arm around her thighs, and hand wrapped around her wrist to hoist her up, she shrieks. He carries her out of his room as her small fists beat his back, occasionally pressing themselves to his thoracolumbar fascia muscle to push herself up. She's yelling at him, throwing in a few 'put me down!' s after a couple of sentences.

"You insufferable, arrogant, idiotic ass!" she screams as he enters her room.

"Casey!" he barks and sets her down with a bounce in front of him.

"What!" she snaps. It was then that he realized how close he was. The small hands resting on his shoulders were noted as well as her tiny frame being pressed to his while his left arm curled around her lower back. They stood there in silence for a moment in what felt like hours but only lasted a few seconds. He watched her facial expressions. She was just as surprised as he was, lips parting at the realization of his proximity. Derek's brown orbs gravitated towards those ample lips that never seemed to stop moving. And he was so close. But once his gaze shifted to her eyes, which were big and round and fixated on his chin, he knew this was wrong.

"So you going for a new look or something because let me tell you, that mustache suits you," he spouts suddenly to change the atmosphere of the room. He's not sure, but he might have seen disappointment in her eyes. Yet even if there was, he would have missed it because her features quickly twist into a scowl as Casey pushes him away and feels her way to her desk. He totters back a bit, muttering an 'ow' as he rubs his left shoulder. The girl had an arm. And when they wrestle for the remote, (she likes to listen to talks shows and documentaries) he struggles to remove it from her grip. The strength thing must be genetic because Lizzie has it and Edwin has a few bruises to prove it. And Nora, well, she could open jars without the help of his father. She's one strong mama bear.

"You're a pain in the ass, Derek," Casey mutters, turning on her computer. The screen light appeared as a mechanical voice delivered a greeting. Casey's fingers hovered over the Braille keyboard as the screen reader software Nora installed guided her through the electronic device. He hated that thing because it wouldn't shut up whenever he tried to snoop around. And the volume would only lower to a certain limit.

"Tell me something I don't know, Princess," Derek replied as he plopped onto her bed, head in his hands. Casey turned towards him in her chair and smirked. Her eyes lingered at the edge of her comforter, conveniently close to his head.

"You're a pain in the ass, but you have a heart," Casey finished, the smirk on her face growing into a smile. She draped her arm over the back of the desk chair and flexed her fingers.

"Hey!" Derek protested as he lifted himself up onto his elbows and shot her a dirty look. " That's cold, McDonald," he continued to glare in her direction, eyes watching hers roll towards the ceiling. But the smile remained on her lips, a sight he couldn't help but find warming. He didn't like to admit hat he had a heart, let alone allow it to show, but with her (and Marti of course) he's been bringing it out to breathe.

"You and your rep," Casey mutters, turning back to the computer. "What are you still doing here anyway? Don't you have some poor defenseless bug to burn?" she asked as she hit a few Braille imprinted keys while the computer vocalized the letters. He could pick up that she was working on the English assignment. The one he had yet to start.

"You are the bug," he stated, smirking at the back of her head. Casey spun back around, but stopped too short and ended up facing the window a few feet away from his head.

"Go find another bug. This one's all burned out," she countered, her blue orbs staring at the wall adjacent to him. If only she knew that the metaphor was not accurate. Because to him, he was the bug. And if he was the bug and God was the kid, then Casey must be the magnifying glass.

Before he could say anything else, Marti appeared at the doorway, Sir Munks-A-Lot in hand.

"Smerek? There you are!" the little girl stomped into the room like a mother on a mission and hopped onto the bed next to him. "Can you tell me a bed time story now, please! You promised me you would if I..." she began, bouncing on her knees with each word. Casey had fully turned herself to face the two as her eyes focused off towards her nightstand when Derek interrupted his little sister.

"Alright, alright! Let's go get your bed ready then, Smarti," he replied, sitting up on the bed as Marti crawled behind him to climb his back.

"Thump, thump" Casey mimicked the beating of a heart, smirk forming on her lips. Derek turned to face her as he shifted Marti higher up his back, the stuffed monkey banging against his chest. Bending down to Casey's level, Derek filled his lungs with air and blew it out in her ear. She yelped and jerked to the side away from him.

"Der-rek!" she protested as Marti giggled behind him. He just laughed and made his way out the room, Marti shouting a goodnight to Casey who returned the favor.

**Ooo**

**Thanks for reading! I'll work on the next chapter and hopefully have it up before I start my class!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I had serious writer's block with this chapter. So I'm sorry if it makes no sense. Anyway, hope you had a happy 4****th**** of July! And thanks for reading : D**

**Disclaimer: Why would I own Life With Derek? I'd be rich if I did!**

**Ooo**

The fifth time she asks, he interrupts her. Her eyes are bright and glossy from the crying she did earlier and he's about ready to bolt for the hills. Her father had come to visit for a while, but ended up being called back for a meeting. Dennis, Casey's and Lizzie's father, had to take off to the airport and catch a last minute plane to New York after only spending three hours at the Vinturi/McDonald household. So when he found Casey on the couch by herself, he knew something was wrong.

"What's up with you?" he asked as he bounced onto his recliner and grabbed the remote from the arm of the couch. Casey's head swiveled around to face him as her eyes focused on his inclined legs. She didn't say anything at first, too shocked by his question. But she soon shook it off and resolved to answer.

"My Dad only stayed for three hours, Derek. I know it's too much to ask, but Lizzie and I hardly get to spend time with him and three hours is not enough!" her voice started to rise towards the end, making Derek's eyes flick to her seated position on the couch. He could make out the beginnings of lament. And sure enough the waterworks started.

"No, no! Don't do that!" he exclaimed as he completely turned in his seat to face her. His hands were up and out in a cautious manner, as if to say calm down.

"Don't do what?" Casey asked as she sniffed and wiped the tears on her cheeks.

"Cry. Don't do it," Derek said. His brown wide orbs were on her face, still in panic mode.

"Why not? I couldn't spend the whole day with my dad and on top of that I even 'see' him and he ends up leaving!" Casey's voice quivered as the tears fell from her eyes. Oh God those eyes! It was those damn big milky gray-blue pupil less eyes that got to him. The tears pooling around them, lashes thick and clumped in perfect peaks that complimented her orbs made him want to reach out and hug her. But he didn't. He couldn't. So he did the next best thing. He called her father and asked him to come back. It was funny how Dennis gave Derek the ok to call for flowers to Kendra or for girl advice, but instead he uses it to help Casey.

"You want to send flowers to Casey?" Dennis asked with uncertainty. He will admit it was sweet of Derek to do that for his daughter, but he thought they couldn't stand each other.

"What? No! No, listen she's downstairs crying because she hasn't seen, sorry, been in your presence in a long time. You left before she could spend time with you," Derek explained, feeling a little light headed at what Dennis said. It was silent on the other line for a moment before Derek heard Casey's father speak.

"I'm on my way." With that, he hung up the phone. And when Dennis returned to the Venturi/McDonald household after missing his flight, he went directly to Casey and whispered soothing words to the top of her head. From his seated position on top of the stairs, Derek listened to Dennis mumble 'I'm sorry sweetheart' and 'I'm so proud of you' as Casey gently held her father's face in her hands, tears cascading down her cheeks. Derek hadn't realized it till now that Casey had been right (don't tell her he said that). Her father did blame himself for his daughter's disability and all Derek could do was sit and watch as Casey uttered reassuring words. 'It's ok dad' and 'I'm fine dad' were repeated over and over as Dennis pressed his lips to the top of Casey's head.

Derek couldn't help but picture himself in that position, his head in her hands as she stroked his face with her fingertips. And he soon comprehended how vulnerable Casey could be. She, in that moment, had the innocence of Marti. The ambiance that said take-care-of-me was visible. It was a side of her he's never seen. Moreover never been shown. The wall she built up was not there anymore and he was able to see all of Casey McDonald. Standing up as quietly as possible, Derek made his way to his room to leave them in their embrace.

Two hours later when Dennis guided Casey up to her room with a final goodbye (and to the sleeping Lizzie in her room), Casey entered his room.

"Derek?' she asked to make sure he was in there. Her hand still held the doorknob, just in case he wasn't there and she needed to close the door. He contemplated on not answering her, to make her leave him alone and let him deal with his 'not there' emotions. But he decided against it after envisioning her trying to descend the stairs on her own in search of him. He liked pranking her, yes, but he definitely didn't want to get her killed. She and her family have already been through one trauma and he does not need to be the cause of another.

"Go away Princess I'm busy," he answered in his usual Derek self. He was sitting on the computer desk chair downloading music when she came in. His voice may have sounded uninterested but the moment Casey's form popped in, his eyes were glued to her.

"Oh good you're here," she sighed, closing the door behind her before leaning against it. Derek watched her in silence as her gray-blue orbs stared off to a spot on the carpet next to his bed. He noted the redness around her eyes and concluded that she had just finished crying.

_Oh God_ he thought _Don't do that in here_

The rested form of her lips soon shifted up into a grin that completely threw him off guard. It was such a rare sight that he had to do a double take.

"What's that? Why are you grinning like an idiot?" Derek asked incredulously as he rises out of his seat to back up a bit. Casey continued to grin as she slowly took a few steps (note a few steps because she'd come to learn that his room was an ambush for tripping over things) towards him before she spoke.

"You called my dad," she stated. It wasn't a question. She knew about it like it was an obvious observation. And it had him wondering what else she knew. He was good at lying, there was a shit load of crap he got away with but sometimes you can't put things past Casey. Her sixth sense can detect it.

"So what if I did," he replied as he walked around his desk to lean in front of it, ankles crossed. Casey's eyes followed his voice and moved them to a spot beside his head.

"You did it for me," she said. The cheeky grin was still displayed on her face. There was a brief second of silence before Derek let out a snort and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Have you met me? When do I ever do anything for you without a reason?" he retorted, tilting his head to the side and staring intently at her features. The grin slightly faltered, but still remained intact.

"Sam? Scott?" she offered, taking a small step towards him as she crossed her arms as well.

Derek pushed himself away from the desk to stand in front of her. When she crossed her arms like that, it was an invitation to argue. And argue he will. Casey's ability to change facial expressions rapidly was a sight he enjoyed. A lot.

"Sam was for his and my benefit. Scott was all Marti's doing," he explained as he watched her eyes move about his brown T-shirt. Casey's pupil less orbs rolled up before she replied.

"You're still with that? Unbelievable Derek!" her words may have sounded astonished, but her smile said otherwise. Derek placed his hands on his hips and shifted his eyes towards the stucco-covered ceiling with a sly one-sided grin on his face.

"Tell yourself what you want Casey, but…. what are you doing?" Two pairs of arms quickly wrapped themselves around his torso as his own arms twitched out in reflex. He looked down to see the top of Casey's head under his chin.

"I'm hugging you moron," the small muffled voice came from his chest. He didn't do anything for a bit before moving his hands to his back to try and unlock her arms.

"Well stop. I don't do PDA," Derek said, still struggling to remove her arms, which tightened their hold. Both teens stumbled back a bit as Derek tried to step out of her hug.

"We're in you room, no one is watching so it's not public," Casey retorted into his chest and he could feel the warm breath passing his shirt and hitting the skin above his heart.

_Crap Crap Crap_

"Then I don't hug my step sister," he turned his head from left shoulder to right in a failed attempt to detach the affectionate Casey from his person.

"Just shut up and enjoy it because this is the last you'll see of nice Casey," she said, heating up his skin again with her warm breath.

Derek stopped moving and looked down at her head again. He wanted to, really wanted to enjoy it like she told him. To wrap his arms around her frame and pull her up against him. Instead Derek hesitantly placed his hands on her shoulders, his half-ass way of giving into the hug. But when Casey whispered a thank you, things got a little too emotional for Derek.

"Ok that's enough!" he objected as he pushed her off and moved around her to open the door.

" You got your hug Spacey, so go on and get out," he said as he held the door open for her. She still has her back to him and he's about to reach out and grab her elbow when she twists around to face him.

"Can I see you now?" she suddenly asks, her eyes fixating on his closet door. Derek blinks at her abrupt question.

"I mean, it's not such a bad…"

"Casey!" he interjects as he watches her mouth stop moving, her eyes darting from his closet door to his chest. Derek closest his eyes for a bit as he rubs the bridge of his nose with his free hand. _This is just not my day…_

Looking back up at her, he replies.

"Didn't I tell you that generous Derek only appears once in a while?" he feels like he's lecturing a kid and from the look on Casey's face, he might as well be. Her eyes were still red from crying and her cheeks now died down to a pink hue. She looked beautiful and he fought desperately to keep his eyes from goggling at her.

"Yeah," she began, orbs moving higher to his chin. "You did," she stayed motionless for a bit before straightening up and shuffling her feet cautiously to the door where Derek took her elbow and guided her out. She would have argued with him, no doubt that she would. But he guessed she figured he did enough for today.

(Even if he didn't admit it)

**ooo**

**Oh Crap this was hard! I spent a few hours staring at my blank screen for something to come out. Hope this is good! And thanks for all the reviews!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter six! Yay! This one does not follow the show at all, just to warn you. I'm sorry if I offend anyone. Rated T for language. And to all my reviewers…Thank you!**

**Anonamys: Wow! A week, Really? Glad it wasn't for the rest of your life!…and thank you!**

**Disclaimer: I, in no shape or form, own Life With Derek.**

**ooo**

The sixth time she asks to see him, he fumbles with his words. It was after she lectured Ryan A.K.A The Fridge and he practically dragged her away to an empty hallway in safety. Derek was in the hallway, Sam beside him telling his friend to ' think rationally' about this, when Ryan and Max came up to him. Derek knew why Max was there and he tried hard not to stare angrily at the guy. Max was not a peacekeeper but when Casey McDonald was in the picture, the quarterback was there like flies on meat. Yet Casey was currently dating Noel from her choir class. _At least he's better than that football jock_ Derek told himself.

"You ready?" the big voice hit Derek's ears and all he could do was glare up at the tall bulky kid and respond.

"Lets do this," Derek turned to walk down the hall as The Fridge, and a protesting Sam and Max, strolled beside him. In his mind, Derek was going through all the takedowns and techniques he's seen Lizzie use. He also took into account some of the methods Casey has used on him while they wrestled on the floor. She wasn't a violent person, but she was blind and had learned to maneuver in harmful situations (or in this case, wrestling for the remote). The dancing was a big help for her too, but he wasn't going to prance around like a ballerina. However Derek wasn't stupid, as everyone seemed to think he was. He knew that a few punches were not going to take down someone far lager than him.

Before they could exit the school building, Ralph called out to them from behind. The four boys turned to face the hall and watched the drummer, along with Casey, making his way towards them. Derek sighed as he muttered colorful words under his breath. Leave it to Casey to butt her head in. she must have cornered Ralph at the cafeteria because she was on his arm as he escorted her to them.

"Go away Casey," Derek barked, his eyes never leaving Ryan's.

"Go away my ass! I never listen to you, why would I start now?" she retorted as she let go of Ralph's elbow and shuffled towards him. She was wearing her sunglasses, the ones she always wears in public. When he was younger, Derek didn't understand why blind people wore shades, but now that he has Casey in his life, he gets it. Because when she first moved in and she wasn't wearing her sunglasses like she was at the café, Derek couldn't stop staring at her eyes. And it wasn't just the fact that she couldn't make eye contact. It was also because her eyes were not like everyone else's.

Sam took a hold of her hand and guided her to Derek's form, giving him a sympathetic look as if to say ' sorry dude, but she's your step-sister'. As soon as Casey's hands touched Derek's arm, she gripped him firmly and jerked him closer.

"What the hell are you doing? Do you want to end up in the hospital?" she hissed as both her arms clutched his biceps, slightly shaking him to emphasize her anger. Her eyes, he guessed, were probably fixated at the center of his chest (he knows her that well). Derek didn't know what to do at first, but he knew he needed to keep his cool and play it safe at the same time. Lifting his hands between hers, Derek swiftly removed Casey's hands and took a hold of her instead.

"Let me deal with this," he said as he shifted her to the side behind him. He did not, however, expect that Casey could take a hold of him again and spin him back so she would be facing The Fridge. To a bystander, it looked like they were dancing at arms length. Like they were two junior high students at a dance in their school gym.  
>"And you!" Casey quickly turned on the spot, in an attempt to face the football player. She ended up facing the lockers next to him.<p>

"Where are you?" She put out her hands in a feeble attempt to find the large man. Her effort to be intimidating was deteriorating and Ryan acknowledged this.

" If you're looking for me, Klutz, them I'm over here," The Fridge sneered. The three best friends all turned to glare at the massive football player in anger. They knew Casey was blind and that she couldn't keep a perfect sense of balance. Hell, even Derek new that the majority of her clumsiness wasn't her fault and it was best to stay away from that kind of joking. But Casey surprised them as she whipped her head in Ryan's direction before speaking.

"Ah! So you do comprehend English. Therefore you could understand what I'm about to say," she mocked as she moved a bit closer. Derek become conscious of the fact that Casey was very observant and that all it took for her to pin point someone was noise. And she was quick to retaliate when someone she didn't know teased about her disability. She didn't need anyone to do it for her and the four pairs of eyes (the fifth belonging to The Fridge which were narrowed at the girl before him) staring disbelievingly at her was the proof.

Ryan was in a no-win situation. If he said he couldn't understand Casey, then he couldn't comprehend English. If he said he could, then he had to listen to Casey tell him off.

"What makes you think that you could pick on someone for no reason?" Casey began as she took small steps towards the football player. In the background Derek groaned and was on the verge of banging his head against the lockers, Sam mumbled an ' Oh shit' as his eyes bulged from their sockets, Max watched in amazement, and Ralph chuckled out a ' this is awesome!" while a wide grin spread across his face.

"Just because you're bigger does not mean you're better and you can go around flaunting it like you own the place!" Casey was practically yelling and the four boys behind her wondered if she was ever going to stop stalking her pray. She did, halting a few inches from the giant bully. It's happened to Derek before, where they were in the middle of arguing and Casey is approaching him to the point where he thinks she's going to collide into his chest. But she stops a few inches away and continues to yell like he's the cause of everything gone wrong. It was after a few of those encounters that he realized how she did that. Casey's super hearing could identify her voice bouncing off an object (or him) and determine how far away it is.

"All you bullies are the same! You pick on someone smaller than you so you could feel powerful! Well I don't care who you are or how big you are, you don't frighten me!' Her voice was rising and Derek could have sworn he saw the veins on her neck protrude out. He was about to take a hold of Casey's arm when Ryan turned to him and spoke.

"You brought your blind as a bat step sister to get you out of this? You're so weak Venturi," the football player stated. The offensive wording did not go unnoticed. It was one thing to question Derek's strength, but it was totally unnecessary to insult his stepsister…again.

The small hand that came up and made contact with Ryan's cheek produced a small cracking noise that caused everyone to stop in shock.

"Don't call me that! Didn't your mother ever teach you manners?" Casey scolded as she pulled her hands back, preparing to push the massive form of muscle.

Everything happened within a few seconds. Derek took a hold of Casey's waist as he pressed his chest to her back, Sam and Ralph lurched forward and grabbed onto the football player's shoulders, Max pressed his hands against Ryan's upper body, and The Fridge himself lifted a hand to press it against his cheek. As soon as they were out of sight, Derek put Casey down and grasped onto her biceps.

"What the fuck was that Casey!" Derek's voice cracked a bit as he steered her to the wall. His hands were still on her arms and he struggled to gain control of his breathing.

" You just, you just slapped The Fridge and now who knows what he'll do! You can't... He's not...fuck," he continued, his eyes darting to the end of the hallway. Casey, for the first time since he's met her, stayed quiet as she listened to him rant frantically. Her hands were at her sides as she waited for him to continue. In the few years that she's known him, Casey has never heard Derek speak like that. His tone, she noticed, had fear and worry. And she realized it was because of her.

"He could have hit you! The dumbass would have done it if we didn't get away!" Derek continued to lecture her and he soon recognized that she wasn't responding. Casey always defends herself, especially when it comes to him but he noticed she hadn't even opened her mouth.

"Casey!" silence...

"You ok? What's wrong with you?" his hands instinctively came up to her face. His right hand pressed against her forehead as his left took a hold of her jaw. But his palms were clammy from all the action so he couldn't tell if she had a fever. Instead, Derek took a hold of Casey's head and pressed his cheek to her forehead. _Good, she's fine_. He does this to Marti all the time so it was second nature to him. In his head, Derek was going through all of the scenarios that could have happened if he didn't pull Casey away: slammed against the lockers, a punch to the gut, even picked up and thrown across the corridor. Whatever crazy scenario there was, he was thinking it.

Derek didn't realize what he was doing and to whom he was doing it to, but Casey did and her eyes grew large at his concerned behavior. Saying she was surprised was an understatement, because this was a side of Derek she's never encountered. She's heard him with Marti and couldn't help but find his caring side adorable, but never thought it would be directed to her.

"I'm...I..." she struggled to form a sentence, still shocked by Derek's actions. Shaking her head and putting that thought on hold, Casey cleared her throat and spoke.

"I'm fine! And I did not slap him that hard! It was just a tap! He shouldn't have said that anyway," she exclaimed as she took a deep breath to calm herself down. She didn't know if it was because of Ryan or because of Derek. Either way she just needed to breathe.

"Well you didn't need to _tap_ him Case, he's gonna get mad and kick your ass," Derek ran a hand through his hair as he turned away from Casey to pace a bit.

"Derek I'm blind. He would have to be the son of the Devil if he really wanted to do that," Casey logic was emitting from her mouth and he was in no mood to listen (not that he ever does listen).

"Well he will make your life a living hell... pun intended," Derek said as he stopped in front of her. He couldn't tell what her eyes were focusing on and he found it funny how he misses that.

"Derek, _you_ make my life a living hell. Besides, Ryan can't do much. I'm a blind girl who can't defend herself. What will the principal think?" Casey explained as she crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. He wondered when the hell they switched places, because Casey was acting so calm while he was pacing the hallway in worry. Derek watched her for a few seconds before he moved to stand before her.

"Your logic astounds me, " he stated bluntly as he crossed his arms as well. " you think he's gonna come up to you and apologize?" Derek continued to protest as he watched Casey lick her lips. He was too upset to put that in the Cute-Casey file.

"So does your I.Q. And no, I don't but he will not try to 'kick my ass' Derek," she said as she pushed herself off the wall to stand a few inches away from him. "Besides, you should be thanking me. If it wasn't for me, Ryan could have been smashing your face right now," Casey softly said. Derek wanted to look at her eyes at that moment, but she still had those black sunglasses on and he didn't know what she'd do if he tried to take them off.

"Yes well, the ladies do love my face..." he trailed off as he stared at the black lens of her shades. "Thank you," Derek finished, pushing his hands deep into his jean pockets.

"So..." Casey broke the silence, dragging out the 'o' for a bit before smiling. "Can I see you?" she blurted out as she swayed on the spot. She reminded him of a little girl.

"Wait what? Why are you...you can't seriously..." Derek fumbled to speak properly. Her question caught him off guard and his mind was still on The Fridge and all that has happened. He wasn't expecting Casey to spring up the can-I-see-you question in the middle of a hallway during school hours.

Before anything else was said, however, Ralph and Sam turned the corner and made their way to the stepsiblings. As soon as they reached the pair, Sam sighed heavily and explained what had happened after Derek and Casey left.

"The guy was shocked. Didn't do anything after we practically pounced on him. He didn't think Casey would hit him," Sam started as he leaned against the wall next to Casey and slid his way to the floor.

"Oh yeah, he did not see that one coming! Nice move by the way," Ralph took over as he patted Casey on the shoulder and took his place next to Derek.

"Well, what did he do?" Casey asked. Derek was thinking the same thing. Sam smirked at the floor before he turned his attention up at his friends.

"He said, ' Fuck! That girl is a pain in the ass! Tell Venturi I'm done. At least I don't have to live with her!' then left with Max behind him," Sam explained as the smirk on his face grew into a grin. Derek couldn't help but laugh and watch as Casey's face went from curiosity to resentment.

"I'm not a pain in the ass," she muttered as her hands went to her hips. The pout on her face didn't go unnoticed by Derek who swung his arm over her shoulders and pulled her closer.

"No. You're just a pain in my ass. Ryan just realized that and let me deal with it," he reassured her as he led her to the cafeteria. Ralph offered a hand to his friend sitting on the floor and they both followed the two up in front.

**Ooo**

**Ok I know, it's not my best but I wanted to show caring Derek. Anyway, I already have most of chapter 7 written so it should be up soon. Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Alright chapter number seven! Just two more to go! Thanks for reading and I'm grateful for all the reviews! For those of you who added this to your favorite story list or story alert, you rock! XD**

**Disclaimer: oh yes, I own Life With Derek. Now excuse me while I go get sued!**

**ooo**

The seventh time she asks to see him, he jokes. They had been arguing earlier about him leaving for Vancouver to be with his girlfriend Sally. And Casey made it real clear as to how stupid he was being.

Both teens were sent out to shop for dinner (Derek being the driver and Casey the shopping list) when she suddenly brought up Vancouver in the silence of the car.

"You're really going to leave us Derek?" Casey asked as she leaned against the passenger door. Her words were so soft he could barely make them out, but he heard her and he groaned inwardly. Derek didn't want to talk about it, especially to Casey in the Prince where no one else was present.

"Not now Casey," he complained, turning the wheel to make a left turn. She didn't have her sunglasses on so when she turned her head towards him, Derek could see her eyes fix themselves on his extended arm.

"Yes now. You spring this up on us not even two hours ago and expect us not to ask questions? You can't do this Derek," she was calm but her tone was firm and he knew the yelling would start in a few minutes. Yet this was a serious matter, one he did not want to talk about with Casey.

"Yes I can. And you're not my mother Casey, you don't seriously think I'd listen to what you have to say," he countered as he pressed the break pedal at a red light. He turned to look at her and watched as her head shifted to the dashboard.

"This isn't just about me, Derek! What about the family? You think they're ecstatic about this? Do you want to leave them here for a girl over there?" she was practically yelling now, each sentence increasing in both volume and velocity. Her hands, he noticed, were clutching onto the arm rest as her face contorted into a frown.

"This is none of your business! What I do and where I go is not your concern! And my family will be fine!" he starts to accelerate the car as the light flicks to green. It's dark out and the streets were just about empty. Casey doesn't say anything else and as he pulls into the parking lot of the market, she unbuckles herself and opens the door. Derek bangs his head against the wheel muttering, "they'll have to get over it" before turning off the engine and exiting the car. Casey is already leaning against the trunk as she waits for Derek to guide her. Without a word, he brings her hand to his elbow and makes his way to the sliding doors of the market. The tension between them lingers awkwardly as they went aisle by aisle in search for the things they needed. Casey would mutter a food product Nora instructed her to buy and Derek would look or it before tossing it into the basket.

It wasn't until the stuff was purchased and Derek was in the middle of placing them in the trunk when Casey spoke up.

"It does concern me Derek, what you do always concerns me. It's been like that for the last, what? Three years? And your family, Derek, they want you around! What about Edwin? He looks up to you! And Marti? You mean the world to her Derek and believe it or not my family cares for you too!" Casey's leaning form on the side of the car was now in front of him. She must have guided her way over and by way her small hand pressed itself against the metal frame, he knew he was right.

"Casey just drop it," Derek was not in the mood to argue. He didn't want to discuss this in a supermarket parking lot with a distressed Casey. Removing her hand from the car to close the trunk, Derek turned away to push the empty cart in its place with the others.

"How can I let this go? You're making a mistake! Don't do this!" Casey's voice was close and as he turned back around, there she stood a few feet from the car and inches from him. He hated it when she did that. Not only was it dangerous for her to walk out like that, but he'd always end up with her knocking into his back when he stopped walking.

"Do what Casey? Live my life with someone I'll be happy with?" lies... He's actually not happy.

"I think that's my decision," he lowers his voice as he moves past her to the car. Casey whirls on the spot, her long brown hair falling onto her shoulders. There are tears in her eyes, her face no longer twisted in a scowl and he realized that this was when the shit hits the fan.

"Damn it Derek! This is your family we're talking about! You can count me out if want, which I know you will, but please..." she paused to catch her breath. She had said please, something she's never used in his presence. He could tell she was serious because Casey hardly cries for him. And Crap, why bring up the family again?

"Don't do this," she finished as she lowered her voice, no longer using the you-listen-to-me tone she had before. She was begging and he wasn't expecting this. In fact, he never wanted any of this to happen. This was real and too late to avoid. This argument with Casey (a real, epic, serious argument) needed to end. Because truthfully, he didn't want to be with Sally. She was nice and smart, but she was just an escape. His attachment to normality when he strayed too far into the life of his stepsister. It was too much for him to take, because Casey was growing on him. And he needed an out. So when opportunity knocked on his door, he opened it and said ' let me get my bags' because if anything should set him off, he would not be able to take it back. Nor would he regret it. And that was the scary part. It went to show him how much he adored Casey. How much he liked her in his life, keener-ness and all.

Derek leaned himself against the car and watched as Casey stood in the middle of the asphalt. There were a few cars parked around them, but no one was driving for her to be in danger.

"Derek," Casey said as she took a few steps closer. She was still a few feet away, but he made no move to guide her back.

"Derek...?" she uttered, her voice breaking slightly as she stretched out her hands in front of her.

"Derek this isn't funny..." her chest began to rise rapidly, arms spreading wider in search for the man of topic.

He watched her from his leaning form on the car, too pissed off and curious as to what she would do. It wasn't his fault she couldn't keep her mouth shut, even if he was the one to push her over the edge. But he appreciated her and no matter how annoying she could be, he couldn't leave her. That part of him that disciplined for control was there in the back of his mind, spieling all sorts of commands and suggestions. 'Be careful Derek ' and 'Just be patient dumbass and wait till you're stronger. You don't have to wuss out and leave her' were a few that kept popping into his head.

Casey's breathing became shorter and her gray-blue milky eyes were glossed in tears. Damn her and her ability to make him feel guilty.

"Derek!" she cried desperately, her whole form swiveling around in an attempt to bump into him. She was shaking and the small whimpers coming from her mouth were driving him insane. Pushing himself off the Prince he walked towards her, taking her outstretched right hand in his and leading her towards the car.

"Derek?" she questioned, unsure if the hand in hers was really his. Because he had his PDA rule, she couldn't distinguish Derek from some random male. She has never seen him, so how the hell can she know the difference between his hand and someone else's?

"Who else Princess?" he retorted, not daring to look back at her tear stained face. Casey didn't respond, too relieved that he came back and she chose not to ruin whatever mood he was in by replying with a comeback. She merely stood by him and wrapped her left arm around his, pressing her cheek to his shoulder. She felt him tense and the little flame in her gut became a full fire. Derek cleared his throat, breaking the awkward silence.

"You should get a guide dog," he stated, keeping his eyes on the concrete floor. Casey smiled slightly, not able to resist the door he just opened.

"I do. His name is Derek," she replied, holding tighter onto his elbow in case he decided to leave her alone again. It was mentioned before when the McDonalds first moved in that Casey should take assistance from a k-9, but Nora was allergic to dogs so Casey had to depend on others to help her get around. And the stick, as she put it, was out of the question. She would probably do more damage than anything. Every so often, Derek would bring it up and she would have to remind him why she couldn't.

"Funny Princess. Hope you know I don't obey commands at your will," Derek said, pushing her head slightly with his shoulder.

"Of course! Who else would put honey in my shampoo," Casey exclaimed, lifting her head up to look in what she thought was his direction. She was off by a few meters, staring instead at the air before him, her blue eyes gazing at the unknown objects in the background. Derek made the mistake of looking at her, letting his brown orbs roam her face. He noted the small smile on her lips, realizing that she was not mad at him anymore. He must have really scared her. And every time she had called his name, he sensed the anxiety in her voice and couldn't bear to hear it.

"Didn't think you could actually smell the difference though," he continued, smirking in the process. Casey's smile widened and it took him a few seconds to register that he was the cause of it. However the smile faded and in it's place was a thoughtful expression.

"Will I ever see you?" she suddenly asked, her eyes moving a bit higher from their original position. She had been asking to 'see' him since the first week they met. She had already seen the rest of his family, George the first day she met him and his siblings at the rehearsal dinner. Edwin couldn't stop blushing as Casey's fingers brushed his face and Marti couldn't stop giggling. But Derek, Derek wouldn't let himself be touched by Casey, even if she was blind. It wasn't because he didn't like her, far from it; it was because he didn't know what it would do to him. The minute he realized how she 'saw' someone, with her delicate fingers grazing the skin of the person's face, Derek knew he wouldn't want her to stop.

"One day Princess. When you believe that I am the king of all that is divine," he sighed, pulling out the keys from his pocket.

"Jerk," Casey pushed him against the car, feeling her way to the door handle, a small smile on her face. After Derek helps Casey into the passenger seat, he gets in the car and drives back home. He never mentions Sally or Vancouver after that.

**Ooo**

**Just two more chapters! I'm thinking of doing a one-shot (is that the name?) of their first meeting at the café. Maybe one on the rehearsal dinner?…OK chapter 8 is already written; I just need to transfer it into a word document and post it up! Thanks for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I spoil you, really. I wasn't going to update SO soon but I got so excited and, well, a big ass roach just crawled from behind my computer so…I'm WIDE AWAKE NOW! Number 8 is my favorite integer…and I know you all will like it too e_,e**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Life With Derek. I'd share it with all of you if I did!**

**Ooo**

The Eighth time she asks to see him, he finally lets her, because she pulls out some shit about how she's missing out on the world and mostly because she just kicked Truman's ass. Well not really, but she did send one good uppercut to his jaw after she found out he kissed her cousin Vicky (Victoria, we know).

The idiot was dumb enough to do it in public where people could talk about it and eventually reach Casey's ears. When she called Derek on her cell to find him, Casey muttered something about not feeling well as she sniffled back tears. Derek spotted her across the room during their argument on the phone and shut the device closed as he walked towards her.

He was pissed when she told him the truth. No doubt in his mind he was angry at that asshole. It was like Scott all over again. The fact that she couldn't see and was cheated on because they assumed they wouldn't get caught.

Derek was yelling at Casey's boyfriend now. How he got there, he didn't know but the next thing he knew after seeing Casey's pupil-less eyes water, was Truman's face before him as people gathered around them. Casey, who he now realized must have taken a hold of his shirt to follow him out, was pulling at his shoulders to get him to stop, saying Truman wasn't worth it.

It wasn't until she finally got him to turn around, Truman in the process of saying something stupid as he tried to make Casey turn to face him, that she sent her small fist up to his jaw.

The kid's head jerked up as he stumbled back, the crowd of teens gasping at the scene. Derek didn't know what to do at first, kick Truman's ass for that comment or gawk at Casey. He chose the latter, eyes on her angry face as she told off her now ex-boyfriend. He's never seen Casey like that before and he was secretly proud of her (emphasis on secretly).

So when she came down the stairs later that night with a bruised left hand, he couldn't help but smile, thanking the stars that she couldn't see it.

"Well if it isn't George ' Rush' St. Pierre," he smirked, watching her feel her way to the island he was currently sitting in front of eating leftovers.

Casey then strolled to the refrigerator as she rolled her eyes, pulling out the juice carton and making her way to the cabinets where she felt her way to the cups on the lower shelf. He always wondered how she got around like that. She, at first, would always take slow cautious steps while in the house, but now she has the place mapped out in her head. Lizzie had told him that with Casey, it was a matter of steps. With enough memorization, Casey knows exactly how many steps it takes to get to a certain place in the house. But it's only for small destinations, he's noticed, because she still needs to take a hold of someone or use a wall for guidance to travel from room to room.

After filling her cup, finger at the rim to measure, Casey walked back to the fridge

_3 steps_ he thought

and then headed towards the island next to him.

_4 steps_ (and yeah, he knows how many it takes. Hell, he even knows how many steps it takes her to reach his room from hers).

"Hello, Derek?" she said, waving a hand between them. It was then that he realized she had been talking to him this whole time.

"What?" he asked, only then realizing that it probably wasn't a smart comeback. Casey just sighed but repeated herself anyway.

"I said that St. Pierre is not famous for his punches. That's Chuck Liddell. Besides, UFC is mostly MMA and grappling," she replied, taking a drink from the cup. His mind was split between ' you grapple with me all the time' and ' what the hell, Casey!'.

" What is this? Lets-surprise-Derek day? How do you even know this stuff?" Derek asked, turning in the stool to face her as he eyed her in disbelief.

" Finding out the moon ascends at night and disappears during the day is enough to surprise you Derek," she snorts into her cup.

"We have a moon?" he asks with fake astonishment as his palms press against the countertop, ready to bolt for the window to search for the celestial body.

"And besides," she adds quietly, blushing as her eyes move around the tile of the counter. " Its hard to ignore the T.V when my father watched the fights on full volume," Casey muttered as she placed a fallen lock of hair behind her ear, a sight he was always fascinated by.

"Well then, that explains the uppercut to the bastard's face," Derek said, turning slightly to his abandoned plate and pushed around its contents with the fork.

"I refuse to be associated with that excuse for a sport. Its violent and I was never fond of it. However, under the circumstances, Truman did deserve that hit," she explained, eyes relocating to his plate.

"Although I didn't think it would hurt this much," she continued and his brown orbs went immediately to her bruised knuckles on her left hand curled around the cup.

Yet that wasn't the only hurting done to her, he knew that. He's witnessed it in the car drive home and the reason he was down here was because he couldn't handle hearing her cry through the vent they shared. Derek doesn't do tears, especially Casey's. And her dark milky gray-blue pupil-less unseeing eyes surrounded by salty tears that made her lashes stick out so beautifully added to that reason.

"Nice blow by the way…for a keener like you," he stated, breaking the silence to prevent Casey from thinking about Truman, which would cause her to cry all over again.

"Hmm? Oh, um thanks…I think?" she fumbled to spit out. He could tell her mind was still in space.

_Such a Space Case_ he thought.

" You're never going to let me see you, are you?" Casey suddenly states, tilting her head a bit to the side in wonder. He blinks and clears his throat before replying.

"You're still with that? Honestly Case when you ask to touch me, you sound desperate," He smirks, folding his arms onto the counter in front of him and turning his head to face her. He watches her roll those blue pupil-less eyes as she groans in annoyance (he tries not to look at her lips).

"I'm missing out Derek! In case you haven't noticed, I'm blind! It isn't fair you know," she started as her blue orbs stare past the left side of his head. He always liked how she could never get the right position of whom she was talking to (ask him and he will deny it) because it made it seem less inappropriate to study her expressions.

"I don't do fair McDonald, you should know that by now," Derek stated smoothly, watching her features turn into a scowl.

" It's been years since we met and I still don't know what you look like. I can only assume that, with that ego of yours and the numerous girls, you have a nice face," Casey stated.

"Is that a compliment Princess?" he asked; smirk appearing on his lips as he crossed his arms. Her eyes moved closer to his place on the stool, but not quite reaching him fully.

"I can't say. Don't know what to compliment if I can't see it," Casey opposed, crossing her arms as well.

"Say what you will, I'll take it as a compliment," Derek retorted, leaning a bit forward in his seat.

"Der-rek!" she shouted, swinging her good hand to swat where she assumed his arm was. She hit his chest instead with the back of her hand. It was quiet for a moment as Casey scanned the air around him with unseen eyes. Derek watched her, thinking about how true her words were (yeah he admits it, but only in his mind). She was exposed to the world around her, him included, and he was able to watch her expressions and actions while she was forever held in a dark world. All she asked was to 'see' him. To know what she was missing. And the little voice in his head, the part that insisted on control, was giving him the ok to let her pursue the action she wanted.

Slowly, Derek took her right wrist and brought it to his face. The expression on Casey's face changed from irritated to astonishment, her blue eyes widening in the process. As he placed her fingers on his cheek Derek let go, putting his hands back on his lap and prepared himself for what she was about to do.

Casey began to trail her fingers down his cheek, sliding the other hand up his shoulder to guide her to the other side of his face. She traced the contours of his nose and moved her way up to his eyelids, where he closed them in response. The feel of her fingertips was something he's never felt before. She was calming and gentle, much more caring then the grasps of those girls he's been out with.

Casey starts to tail down his cheeks and reaches his lips, where Derek suddenly snaps his eyes open. Her fingers trace them and he subconsciously parts them. Casey's right digits cup his chin, thumb running over his bottom lip. He tries hard not to kiss it. Her left hand trails down his neck, fingers lightly pressed to the hollow of his throat. The digits then trace his collarbone, moving to the back of his neck to play with the locks of hair. The hand on his chin glides along his jaw and to the side of his head, fingers running through the burgundy strands. At that moment, Derek couldn't help but close his eyes in bliss. He was glad Casey couldn't see the look on his face, because he knew he had broken the barrier he put up a long time ago. His heart rate was increasing and he wondered if her enhanced hearing could pick it up. Casey's fingers moved to the front part of his hair, taking some of the long locks that fell over his eyes in her fingers. Derek's half opened eyes swept her face, taking in every detail of her lovely features. The way her lips were parted, the way the corners of her mouth twitched in a quick smile, and the way her blue pupil-less eyes were surrounded by thick black lashes as they fixated themselves over his right shoulder. She didn't seem to notice the way his breathing became deeper.

Finally, Casey ended with her hands cupping his cheeks, Derek leaning into one of them. He wanted to place his hand over hers but fought against it. Instead he opened his eyes to look at her face. To his surprise, she was smiling, eyes shinning brighter than he's never seen before.

"Not bad Venturi," she stated, lightly patting his left cheek before dropping her hands. He doesn't know why, but suddenly he feels cold.

"You can take it as a complement. Just don't expect anymore," she continues, eyes to the left of him and staring at the counter. Derek watched her smile fade as she stops to think.

"Casey..." he begins, unsure why he called her. But as soon as she flicks her eyes a bit to his direction, he knows why and suddenly it doesn't seem like a good idea (yet).

"... Good to know you gave in. The Venturi charm never fails," he states, smirking for affect even though she can't see it. He watched her roll her dark milky gray- blue eyes as she gave him a smirk of her own.

"Uh- huh, yeah. Coming from the only one who believes it," she retorts, standing up from her seated position on the stool. Derek stands up as well, waiting for her next move. As soon as Casey puts her hands out in front of her to search for the wall, he understands that she's trying to make her way back up the stairs.

"And that's coming from the girl who can't see all the proof," he counters, taking a hold of her right hand and leading her out the kitchen to the stairs. Just like that, they were back to bickering. Yet in the back of his mind he knew something changed between them.

"What? Your one-week girlfriends? I suppose so, if that's what the Venturi charm if for. Thought you held yourself bit higher than that," Casey replied as they ascended the stairs, her left hand sliding against the rail for support. She did, however, note that Derek had yet to let go of her hand. All the times he had helped her up the stairs, she was forced to hold onto his elbow or grip his shoulder. Never had he entwined their fingers as he led her to the second floor.

"Are you calling my taste in women cheap?" Derek gasped, faking the hurt in his tone. If she were, he thought, then she'd be surprised that she was in his field of women.

"You could say that," she teased, left hand reaching the wall at the top of the stairs.

"You're just jealous now that you know what I look like," he stated, stopping in front of her room to open her door, releasing her hand in the process.

"I should have never let you keep the compliment. I just added more air to that head of yours," Casey mumbled to herself, feeling her way into her room. Without thinking, Derek made his way past her doorframe and stood before her. He couldn't push out the feeling of her fingers on his face. It was like running an ice cube against hot skin on a summer day. Fresh and chilling, leaving bumps to trail after it. Keeping his hands in his pockets, Derek leaned forward and pressed his lips to Casey's forehead. She didn't speak nor push him away. And as he pulled back, the expression on her face was, as he predicted, shock. Her eyes were staring at his left shoulder in big round orbs. He looked down at her; a smile displayed on his face before it curved into a smirk.

"Night Princess," he said, watching her eyes flicker to his cheek. She was getting better at this finding his eyes thing.

"Night Derek," Casey whispered back, too confused by his actions as her hand slowly came up to the spot his lips touched. Right after he closes the door to his room, he realizes what he did.

"Shit"

So much for control. Stupid teenage brain.

**Ooo**

**Oh Crap! He let her see him! Sorry if I bored you with the UFC stuff but my dad's a big fan so I hear that crap all the time. Not a big fan myself, but I know some stuff thanks to all the screaming guys in my living room! Anyway, next chapter is the romance! Thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I had writer's block again: ( This chapter turned out to be a whole scene on its own so I split it in half and ended up making two chapters. Anyway, thanks for waiting!**

**ooo**

The ninth time she asks, he lets her again. She says something about not being able to live with him anymore after they go to separate colleges. It was after he took both Casey and Emily to the prom, after he declined to dance with her. She was dressed up again, Nora insisting on applying the make-up as Emily picked out a 'perfect dress to compliment her eyes'. Derek wasn't very fashion forward, but when Casey came down the staircase with Nora at her elbow, he couldn't deny how beautiful she looked. The short navy blue dress with cap sleeves did wonders to her body. And her gray-blue orbs were saturated in color.

When they headed out to the car, Nora stopping them for pictures as they exited the house, Emily pulled Casey out to the dance floor and danced for a few hours as soon as they entered the building. Derek, who was pulled out to dance by a few girls, went to stand off by the wall to rest with a tired Sam. After a few minutes of talking, both men were interrupted when Kendra guided Casey towards them. With a hand extended, Casey asked Derek for a dance. He stared at her hand before smirking and stating some witty reply that had them squabbling for twenty minutes. When Sam and Kendra came back to the two, they took the initiative to separate them and dance with their opposite sex.

After Sam returned Casey to Derek, the two stepsiblings departed. And on the drive home, Casey decided to verbally harass him.

"I don't understand why you couldn't dance with me," she began, her head leaning against the window. Derek, who had his eyes on the road the whole time, flicked his gaze to the brunette in the passenger seat before returning them to the street.

"I don't dance, not with you at least," he retorted as he adjusted his hands on the steering wheel. Casey whipped her head around to face him, but confronted the glowing dashboard instead.

"It was just one little dance! I danced with Sam and Ralph. Hell, I even danced with Kendra!" she complained, waving her arms a few times.

"You danced with a girl?" he asked teasingly as the corner of his lips twisted up into his famous smirk.

"Girls can dance with girls moron. My point is you, the guy who took two girls to the prom, couldn't even dance with one," Casey overlapped her arms across her chest as she sunk lower into her seat. Derek reallocated his eyes from the road to the pouting Casey.

" I danced with Emily for a bit. Before Sheldon came and surprised her," he flicked his eyes back to the black asphalt.

"Yeah Emily told me about that. But still, I wasn't asking for much," Casey said, scooting up in her seat to rest her head on the window again. It sounded like she was giving up and Derek didn't like the thought of that. She was Casey, the annoying persistent stepsister who despite her disability would compete with him.

"You always ask for much," Derek contradicts, urging Casey to react. She does and spins her head to him to retaliate.

"I do not!" she replies as her orbs fixate themselves on the window adjacent to him.

"You do too," he counters; smirk returning to his face.

"No!"

"Yes you do,"

"No I...look the point is, is that I asked for a dance and you threw it out like it was going to burn you. Do you really hate me that much?" Casey asked as she shifted her head back to the dashboard. Derek whipped his head to look at her, flicking his eyes every so often to the road.

Oh no, the hate card. He hated the hate card. When Marti uses it, he breaks down all his tough guy façade and babies his little sister till she forgives him. With Casey, well, she's never used it but now that she has, he will most likely cave in. Because he doesn't hate her and she needed to know that.

Without a word, Derek pulls the car into an empty real estate building parking lot and gears the Prince into park.

" What are you doing? Please don't tell me you're stopping for food," Casey said as she sits up straight in her seat.

Derek doesn't reply as he unbuckles himself and opens the door. He then walks around the front of the car and extends a hand out to open the passenger door for Casey, who whips her head towards him as she grips onto the seatbelt across her chest.

"Derek?" she asks, her hold tightening onto the thick fabric.

"Come on Princess, before I change my mind," he leans over her lap to press the button with his thumb and free her from the safety strap she was clinging onto.

"Where are we going?" Casey lifts her hands as Derek takes a hold of them and helps her out of the car. As soon as she was out, he kicks the door closed and leads her a few feet away from the Prince.

"Derek what the hell are we doing?" Casey continues to question him as she holds tightly onto his elbow.

"You wanted to dance Princess so lets dance," he turns around to face her, taking a hold of her left wrist to place her hand on his right shoulder. Lacing his fingers with her other hand; Derek slides his own hand to her waist and slowly moves their bodies side to side. Casey, too shocked to say anything, merely followed his steps as she curls her fingers around his left shoulder and flicks her eyes passed the side of his head. After a few seconds of silence, she smiles softly and slowly moves her head forward till the side of his jaw makes contact with her temple.

" You're dancing with me," Casey states into his right shoulder, the collar of his black coat rubbing against her lips.

"Don't remind me," Derek groans in mock irritation as he swayed them on the spot. The brown ringlets that were once elegantly gathered at the back of Casey's head were now escaping the pin and tickled his cheek.

"In a public area," she continues.

"It's an empty parking lot,"

"And there's no music,"

"I'll live," he states, bringing his left hand on her waist to rest on her back. He knows he may be pushing it, but he's already broken down so many barriers for her that he might as well enjoy it before he has to rebuild them. Casey leans into him, arching her back slightly to better mold into his form. It's quiet again as they softly swing to some unknown beat. Breaking the silence with courage she thought she would never use, Casey cleared her throat before speaking.

"I want to ask you something," she shifts her head lower into the crook of his neck as if she was embarrassed to continue. Derek flicks his gaze to the side of her head in surprise before swallowing down the nervous feeling.

"Casey I'm dancing with you in the middle of a parking lot. What more do you want?" he asked, turning them as they continued to slow dance. Casey moves her head so that her forehead pressed itself against his neck. Suddenly the white lines on the floor seemed interesting to him.

"I want to see you again," she mumbled into his collar, the warm breath passing through the fabric. Derek pulled his head back, causing Casey to do the same. He stared at her for a bit, wondering what her logic was. But he realized that Casey logic took complicated equations to figure them out. So instead, he smirked and replied.

"I knew you couldn't resist the charm," he states as he watches her roll those gray-blue pupil less eyes.

"No dumbass, it's just…well we're probably going to different schools and we won't be seeing each other often," she began, eyes focusing off to the side.

"Casey you can't…."

"Yeah I know I can't see, but you know what I mean," she interrupts him as her orbs shift to his shoulder.

So that's why he saw her 'seeing' Marti yesterday in the living room. She was memorizing everyone. In Casey's room, there are no picture frames. She couldn't see them therefore why have them. And when she goes off to college, photos are something she really can't take with her.

Nora had told him briefly, when she was dating his father, that Casey's hands are her eyes and through them she could see. And Casey's hands touched everything. The first few weeks after the McDonalds moved in, Derek was fascinated by the way her fingers browsed. It was amazing to him how she could touch the stair railing and call it wood or skim through the refrigerator and find what she was looking for.

He once got her to stick her hand in a bowl of cooked spaghetti pasta and then told her they were worms. A funny noise came out her mouth before she grabbed a few and threw them at his standing form next to her. That resulted in a food fight where Marti joined the McDonald side because ' girls need to stick together and because Casey can't see'.

One thing Derek has trouble with, is the sight of Casey reading Braille. Maybe it's the way her eyes are off in some direction while her fingers move over the dots. Or maybe it's the way she smiles when she reads something funny or bites her lip at some complicated part. Her face goes through all these expressions while she reads that it practically tells him the story. To him, they're just dots. But to Casey, they're words. Derek sometimes will catch himself staring, TV abandoned, as she sits on the small loveseat by the window or he finds himself at her door when he is asked to tell her dinner was ready. And when her fingers give their attention to a face, he thinks he might hyperventilate. Derek, in all his teenage years, has never had such a turn on. It was much worse than watching her read because the person could react, leaving expressions on their faces that they didn't know were occurring. And Derek could easily picture himself there.

If Casey was going to some far off college where he wouldn't be able to watch her read or 'see' people, then he was going to milk every moment he could with her. Even if it meant letting her 'see' him one more time.

"Ok Princess. But just this once," Derek sighed before closing his eyes and separating his fingers from her right hand to place them on her waist. Casey smiled, not daring to say anything to change his mind as she slides her left hand up his shoulder to his cheek. The right hand makes its way to the side of his head and shifts to the front of his face where her finger tips rest delicately on his forehead, thumb lightly pressed to his lips.

Derek was brought back to the night he first let her 'see' him and remembered, quite well, how her fingers moved. It was different this time because Casey wasn't gliding or skimming. She was holding and stroking. He didn't realize that memorizing meant touching parts of the face repeatedly and feeling every feature intently. Casey wasn't inspecting him like she was that other night, she was learning him. From the shape of his nose, to the arch of his brow line, the curve of his lips, the line of his jaw, and to the crook of his neck.

Her fingers, he noted, were now against his Adam's apple and he couldn't help but swallow in apprehension. Casey smirked and smoothed her fingers lower to the hollow part between his collarbones.

"You nervous Venturi?" she snickered, her eyes on his chin. Derek opened his own eyes to look at her as her other hand slid up the side of his neck to rest on his cheek again.

Yes

"Not a chance McDonald," he replied, smirk forming on his own lips. Casey's gray-blue orbs widened as her mouth quirked up into a grin.

"Do that again," she ordered, the small hand on his neck pressing itself more to curve around his throat.

"Do what?" he asked in confusion as an eyebrow lifted up his forehead.

"Yeah that. Keep talking," Casey continued to grin as her palm pressed itself against the dip of his throat.

Derek didn't do anything for a few seconds as he eyed her gleaming expression before he swallowed and spoke.

"You want me to talk so you could feel it? You're so weird Princess," he stated, hands shifting to her lower back.

" This feels weird. It's like tiny bolts of electricity going through your hand," she explained as she replaced the grin with a warming smile.

_Oh yeah_ he thought _it definitely tingles Case_

Derek watched her features and thought how ridiculously childish she looked.

"You're getting a thrill out of this, aren't you?" he suddenly said, unconscious of the fact that her body seemed to be a lot closer than it was before.

"Yeah whatever," Casey managed to say, too preoccupied with concentrating on the vibrations of his voice. For Derek, this was the strangest thing he's ever done with a girl, particularly with Casey. But the expression on her face was intriguing, like she has never felt anything so interesting in her life.

Derek soon clears his throat, to which Casey giggles and replies with a 'that tickles', before he takes her wrists and pulls them away from his face.

"Come on Space Case, we have to go home," he sighs and carefully takes a hold of her hand to lead her to the car.

When they get home, their respective parent is waiting for them on the couch. And just as Derek is about to explain (lie) why they were late, Nora blurts out something he really didn't want to hear.

"We're going to have a baby!"

_Oh shit._

**Ooo**

**Hope you like! And I'm sorry it took so long. Will try to update last chapter soon though! Ok I have a dilemma, next week I'm turning 21 and, aside from Las Vegas, what the hell do I do? Thanks for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Ok I know it took a long time, but I had a lot of crap going on and since this is the last chapter I had to make it good…. or at least I tried! Anyway, a few countries had their independence days in the past two weeks so happy Independence Day to them! And Thanks for reading!**

**Rated T for language**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Life With Derek; we all wish we did though…**

**ooo**

The last time she asks to see him (mainly to break the tension), he kisses her. He's not entirely sure what propelled him to kiss her; maybe because that other side of him threw control out the window, or maybe because the way Casey's dark milky gray-blue pupil less orbs had finally, finally looked into his brown ones. They were in the kitchen the night they both announced that they got into Queens. Derek had been struggling with his common sense and instinct throughout the past few weeks and stopped trying to separate them like he's been doing with his head and heart. The more time he spent with Casey, the more that borderline was breaking. And when he encountered her earlier that day, he couldn't help but give in.

Derek had been avoiding her because of Nora... Or what was growing inside her. When his stepmother announced she was pregnant, both teens were silent for a split second before reacting. Derek felt the like the floor caved under him and he was falling through all the layers that formed the earth. The heavy weight of this news was just more pressure added to his shoulders, pushing him down further. He didn't know what was going on in Casey's mind but the tightening grip on his elbow must have meant something. Derek, on his part, watched her in his peripheral vision as he swallowed hard before turning back to Nora with a smile. Casey had suddenly bounced in excitement on the spot as she squealed in delight. She let go of his elbow and felt her way to her mother by the couch. Derek watched Nora take a hold of her eldest daughter's hands and pull her into a hug. Wiping a hand over his mouth, Derek made his way over to his father who slapped a hand on his back as the younger children joined in the celebration. It should have been a big family moment. But it wasn't, at least not to him. Derek may have acted like this was great news as he hugged his stepmother, but inside he was crushed. This baby would bring him and Casey closer in a way he never wanted. They would share a sibling, half his blood and half hers.

So over the weeks he has been keeping away from Casey, staying in her presence no longer than five minutes. The pranks have decreased and the fights were minimal. It wasn't till a few days before graduation that he broke the boundary he made. He was sitting on his recliner, watching hockey reruns when Casey came down the stairs. He heard her slowly descend one step at a time and he could picture her hand gripping the railing for guidance. Derek was expecting her to comment on his choice of entertainment, but Casey remained silent as she slid her hand over the back of his chair and to the small table behind the sofa. Plopping herself onto the far corner of the couch, Casey adjusted her seating as she folded her legs under her. The Braille book in her hands rested on her right knee as her fingers started to roam the thick paper. Instead of starting off with a usual witty comment, Derek remained silent as he tried to focus on the TV. But his attention would only stay on the screen for a few seconds before his eyes would flick over to Casey. He noticed how unfocused she was. The clouded look on her face was something he knew did not fit in the many expressions she makes while reading. Her eyes were distant and not in the sense that meant she was 'lost in the story'. And the bouncing of her right knee was a definite sign that something was off. Derek tried to ignore it, keeping his eyes on the screen as much as possible. But the drumming of her fingers and the jittering of her leg was like an alarm that wouldn't shut up. He knew he should stay away from Casey and out of her business, but it was as if he was programmed to stick his head in. And visa versa.

Muting the TV, Derek twisted in his recliner to face the brunette on the sofa.

"Ok. I understand that you're visually impaired, but I'm not and I can see that you're not good at hiding your emotions. What the _hell_ is wrong with you?" the remote rested in his right hand, dangling over the arm of the chair.

Casey, having stopped jiggling her knee, turned her head in his general direction. Her eyes, he noticed filled with worry, fixated themselves on the wall by the front door. He could tell by the way her eyes rested somewhere far off his actual location that she wasn't fully paying attention. That or she was really worried about something.

"Hmm?" Casey hummed a response as she drummed her fingers against her folded legs.

"The tapping. What are you so worried about?" Derek asked, eyes never leaving Casey's face.

Over the years, he's been able to detect some of the things she was feeling. At first it was for amusement because, hey, Casey's facial expressions were fascinating. But through time he's learned to take those details and link them to an emotion.

Eyebrows knitted together while she chews her bottom lip, was a sign for thinking intently, mostly for schoolwork. Eyes round and mouth relaxed with lips closed meant she was in her mind and she won't be out for the next twenty minutes (yeah, he timed it). Lips parted and gray-blue orbs slightly shifting from one point to another, meant she had her full attention on you and (mostly with him) she was in cobra mode, ready to strike if something harsh was said.

In this moment while the two sat in the living room, her eyes distant (literally) and eyebrows not completely furrowed but the small dents above them were visible as she nibbled the inside of her bottom lip, was a sign that she was worried about something.

Casey didn't answer at first, too surprised by Derek's observations. She thought he would be too focused on the T.V to know what was going on around him, but here he was pointing out her jittering state.

"It's nothing," she quickly uttered, shifting her head back towards the window behind the television, unseeing eyes pointed at the dark green curtains bundled at the corners.

"Nothing my ass, you can't hide shit from me McDonald," Derek said, his tone mixed with demand and consolation.

Hesitating for a moment, Casey opened her mouth a few times before speaking.

"It's just. I'm worried about graduation. What if I trip or fall?" she began, only giving him half of what was going on in her mind. But Derek knew there was more, and his brick wall he placed between them was collapsing. He could at least do this before he saw less of her in the next four years.

With a heavy sigh, Derek pushed himself off the recliner and plopped down adjacent to his blind rival. Casey angled her head to face him as her eyes centered on his chin. She wasn't expecting him to invade her personal space, even if he was doing that a lot towards the beginning of the year. And she was not objecting to his new proximity. With a lift of her shoulders, Casey slightly rearranged her seated position to a safe distance away from her stepbrother. Just because she allowed him to get so close doesn't mean she didn't get nervous as hell. And this crisis going on in her head at the moment was not helping her control it.

"You also can't lie," Derek stated, his cool breath reaching her neck. She mentally cursed herself for not moving farther away, because she was still close enough to feel him breathing.

"Mikaela will be there to guide you Case. She's not gonna let you fall. Now what's the real reason why you're worried," Derek leaned his right shoulder onto the back cushion of the couch as his left leg dangled to the floor.

Casey didn't say anything. Sure, over the years Derek has grown on her and she's positive that it goes both ways. She almost has his lying habits down to a science if we want to get technical. But because she's blind, Casey could not see Derek's expressions and as much as he teases her about her 'sixth sense' it's not like she's superman. What she knows is learned through experience and Casey has never encountered Derek-emotions before (other than the one's purposely directed towards her). Therefore this 'What's-wrong-with-you' and 'Talk-to-me' thing he was doing was not the norm.

"I'm. I'm worried about school," Casey finally said, not fully expressing the details she was currently stressing over. College, future,...baby…

Derek let out a snort before replying.

"Aren't you always," he muttered. His eyes then narrowed in suspicion as a smirk appeared on his lips. "But it's not high school you're worried about. It's college," he finishes. The words came out like he was finding the pieces to a puzzle, linking the killer to a murder. If he wasn't so addicted to hockey or film, he might have gone into forensics. Freaking Lizzie and her CSI shows.

"Sort of," Casey mumbled, leaning back against the sofa as her eyes shifted slightly to the right side of his face.

When Derek didn't respond, she knew that he was waiting for her to elaborate. With a sigh, she began to explain what was eating at her (leaving out some other details).

"It's just that going to college is new and yes, it is exciting but it's also scary. I won't know anyone and it's hard for me to trust someone because of my disability. I mean the only person I can trust to guide me around is…" she stops her rant as she suddenly realizes was she was about to say. Dare she finish that sentence? He did ask her to explain and this caring concern thing he was emitting at the moment let her believe that she could say what she stifled a few seconds ago.

"Is you," Casey quietly finished. The gray-blue orbs were pacing the area around his right shoulder as his own eyes searched her face for false pretenses.

She couldn't mean that right? She was Casey, his stepsister that constantly told him he was a pain and an immature idiot. Casey couldn't really trust him, Derek, to take her hand and lead her where she needed to go could she? Both figuratively and physically. But the look on her face held no sign of deception. She wasn't kidding. She really did trust him.

"Well. I mean. I trust the family and close friends too but, new school you know?" Casey added with a nervous laugh as she shrugged her shoulders.

For Derek, it was something he thought he'd never hear from her. He couldn't bring himself to reply, only blinking in the silence between them. Clearing his throat as he shifted in the couch to face the correct way, Derek responded.

" Well Princess, guess you're going to have to find someone else to trust. I won't be there to guide you," he hoped she didn't hear the sincerity in his voice.

"Yeah I know," Casey turned her head back to the front and placed her hands back on the abandoned book. Her fingers were barely moving against the dots on the page, a sign that she wasn't really reading the words.

At their graduation, when they were seated and students were being called up to obtain their diplomas and after Casey was guided (without accident) by Mikaela up the steps and safely to her seat next to Emily, Derek makes a big entrance as the principal calls his name. He later states it was for old times sake, but he mainly did it to keep the attention away from Casey and her anxious state of mind. He knew she'd still worry about graduation and that many other peers would anticipate some embarrassment. So he took the initiative to seize their full attention. It's not like it was hard anyway. However, sitting at the dinning room table was difficult. Because that was when he found out that Casey got accepted to Queens just as he did. It was unexpected, for her part as well. She was just as surprised as he was and the look on her face held no discontent. So when he sat down at the island in the kitchen finishing a bowl of cereal, Derek did not expect Casey to come down the stairs and join him.

What are you doing up, Derek?" she asked, running a hand against the wall for guidance before shuffling to the small island.

"How could you be so sure that it was me?" he protested as he lowered the spoon of cereal back to the bowl. Casey chuckled lightly before sitting on the stool adjacent to him. Derek observed her movements as she cautiously rearranged herself on the chair.

"The only people who eat at night are you and Edwin. And I heard him in his room so it has to be you," she explained, folding her arms on the tile. Casey's eyes were pointed near the window by the kitchen sink as she faintly smiled.

"That's just your sixth sense kicking in," he waved a hand dismissively. Casey straightened up swiftly before turning to him.

"I do not have a sixth sense! Quit branding me like I'm a abnormal!" she protested, shooting an arm out to strike him. The pads of her fingers roughly brushed against his biceps before returning to her side. Derek was too engrossed in his thoughts to respond. Once he found out that they would attend the same school, he had to completely change tactics evolving Casey and strategize new ways to avoid her.

"So you ready for college?" she asked. Her eyes were off to the side of his head, roaming the kitchen cabinets behind him. She was smiling and Derek couldn't help but let his eyes descend to her lips.

"As ready as I'll ever be," he sighed as he pushed the empty bowl away from him. "So many classes to take and with this new baby coming, it doesn't look like madness will end anytime soon," Derek suddenly apprehended his words and slowly lifted his shocked eyes to view Casey's face. She wasn't smiling, he knew she wouldn't be, but she wasn't fuming either. The fact that he described their unborn sibling as chaotic did not agitate her. Her face was twisted in thought and he had no idea what she was reflecting. It somewhat scared him.

"This whole baby thing is a bit weird isn't it?" Casey suddenly said, returning her unseeing eyes back to his face. It took a while for him to understand what she said before he gulped his panic down and answered.

"Yup," he replied, popping the p for emphasis.

"He or she will share our blood…" she continued and Derek winced at her statement. She was aware of that fact just as he was.

"That doesn't make us related does it?' Casey asked in a low voice that he barely heard it.

"I don't know Case," Derek whispered as he gazed at her intently.

"Oh," she slowly lowered her chin, causing her eyes to shift to his chest. They remained silent for a minute before she spoke.

"You've been avoiding me," Casey suddenly said, her face still centered on his middle. Derek didn't say anything as he continued to watch her. He didn't think she would catch his sidestepping or even care about it. But she did.

"Why?" her head finally turned up to meet his, gray-blue eyes on his shoulder. He didn't know what to say and he couldn't exactly lie his way out of this one.

"You're being paranoid Case. It's not like I can avoid you anyway, you…"

"Stop doing that! Stop changing the topic!" Casey interjected in irritation as she stood up before him. Derek looked up at her in shock as she continued.

"I'm not paranoid. I may be blind but don't treat me like I'm stupid, Derek!" she couldn't really scream this late at night but he could tell she was upset.

" I know you're not stupid Casey. You make sure of that every fucking day. And maybe I want to change the subject because I don't want to talk about it!" He growled. Derek didn't know why he was mad as he stood up to tower over her. It could have been the fact that she believed he thought she was dense. Stupidity was only a label he gave for the serial dates he had in the past. He couldn't possibly regard Casey as one of them; she was so much more better than that.

After a moment of silence, Derek tried to move around her but Casey reached out a hand and managed to grip his forearm.

"Derek…"

"What?" he snapped, turning his head to look at her. The pupil less orbs moved from a point on his shoulder to his chin repeatedly. Casey let out a low chuckle and turned her head away from him, slightly shaking her head before replying.

"You know in a weird comical can't-explain-it sort of way, I actually miss you," she whispered, eyes returning to him and fixating on his cheek. He looked at her in surprise as she faintly smiled.

"Things were a lot easier when I kept bugging to see you," she continued as her gray-blue orbs stared intently at the spot below his cheekbone. Casey slowly licked her lips before she carried on.

"We're not the same anymore huh? You've been avoiding me like the plague as if I'd kill you these past few weeks," he watched her features change into wonder as she bit her bottom lip and gazed at the floor. She hummed a conformation to her thoughts and he was desperate to find out what it was she fabricated in her mind.

"Casey," he whispered, pulling her out of her thoughts. But she didn't acknowledge his interruption and spoke out instead.

"Right, OK. We should go back to the way we were. I don't like the distance thing," she started, eyes on his face again just above his brow line.

"No Casey that's not what I…"

"I mean what difference does it make anyway,"

He stopped and looked at her face contorted into what appeared to be sorrow.

"We'll always be Derek and Casey, two fighting stepsiblings who can't seem to agree on anything," she was lost in thought for a bit as he watched her. This wasn't happening. It was a conversation without comebacks and insulting retorts that flew through the air so fast you would miss them. Casey was being emotional and he was allowing it to happen. But it was because of what she said. In all the years that he's known her, she would push for distance. And now she's confessing that she trusts him and misses his presence. Furthermore, not only does she dislike the separation but she also knows it's needed.

Derek watched as Casey forced a smile and raised her eyes.

Oh Fuck

His heart had finally stopped beating. Or at least that's how it felt. The air in his lungs was sucked out of him as if he had been scared shitless or extremely surprised. Because she was looking at him, pupil less orbs directly on his like she could see all along. In all the years that he's known her, she has never held eye contact with him. How could she, she was blind. It was as if she was looking into him (its cliché, he knows but he has no other words to describe it) and he's not sure if she's done that to anyone before but he'd like to think it was just him.

"So Derek…can I see you?" Casey whispered half heartedly, her eyes still locked on his brown ones. It's a rhetorical question but he couldn't help consider it.

One moment he's staring at her incredulously, and the next he's pulling her by the arms and crashing his lips to hers so fast that her head jerks up and back. She stumbles into him as his head bends down to capture her lips. At first, Casey's body was rigid, shocked by his mouth moving against her own. But then she responds and slowly shifts her hands up his chest where they were trapped to take a hold of his neck, thumbs against his jaw. Derek's hands find their way to her waist just below her breasts and pull her in closer against him while her hands travel up to rake his hair. As they part, Derek continues to leave small kisses against Casey's swollen lips as his thumbs caress her cheeks. Her own hands are still resting in his reddish locks as she sighs in what he hopes is content. Leaning his forehead against hers, Derek starts to speak.

"You don't have to ask anymore Princess," he breathes, his thumbs now tracing her pink lips, eyes focus on them as they part. Casey, for her part, is still adjusting to this new knowledge that she hardly notices her fingers playing with the hair at the base of his neck.

"What exactly is going on Derek?" she starts. Leaning back to fixate her eyes on his cheek. She did not pull away though, but stayed constructed into his form.

"What, the kiss wasn't obvious enough?" he replied as he trailed his hands down to her waist. If she wasn't extracting herself from his arms then she must not be repulsed by his actions.

"No your tongue in my mouth does not count as the full message. You need to elaborate," Casey interrupted, dark gray-blue orbs traveling from cheek to cheek.

"Oh I can definitely do that," he smirked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. She couldn't see his expression but Casey caught his innuendo and smacked the back of his head.

"Ow! Ok Ok!" Derek cried out, ducking his head between his shoulders as he rubbed the spot. He sighed in preparation for what he was about to say.

"I love you," his voice changed from playful to serious, something he's been doing a lot around her lately. "I just…" Derek ran a hand through his hair and sighed, the fingers on Casey's back curling around her shirt.

"You're a pain in my ass and you don't shut up! But when you do it's still annoying! Everything has to be perfect with you and you try to push your keener ness on everyone! I hate the fact that you read in front of me because it's so hard not to stare at you! And you suck at lying; I could totally see it on your face! I hate it when you cry because your eyes are unbelievably blue and beautiful! I was scared shitless when you took on The Fridge and I thought you were badass when you punched Truman! All the arguments we had never meant anything other than to watch every movement your features made. Grappling for the remote was torture and I swear if we ever fight like that again, I'll let you know exactly what I feel for you! It fucking sucks that you're blind because I really wish you could see me! And the only reason why I wouldn't let you touch me was because I would have probably kissed you!" Derek paused to breathe and exhaled slowly before continuing.

"…You're annoying as hell Casey and you ruined my life. But I'm in love you," he finished as he kept his eyes on the space between them. "Happy now?" Derek asked as he moved his gaze up to her face, watching her lips quirk up into a smile.

"Yes. See that wasn't so bad," Casey said as she took a hold of his head again.

"Yeah it was. You made me talk about my feelings," he pouted and for a brief moment he wondered if his expression resembled a child being scolded, with his cheeks being cupped and pressed so firmly.

" I feel so violated," he continued in playful banter as he scowled in mock displeasure. Casey rolled her eyes, dropping her hands to his shoulders.

"Only you could confess your love for a girl just to bounce back up and ruin the moment," she muttered as she pushes herself away from him to feel her way around the island in the kitchen, but not before taking a hold of his hand.  
>"Just for you Princess," he slyly replied, taking a hold of her elbow and leading her up the stairs. They're bickering again, like the night she hit Truman except this time his secret is out and Casey seems ok with it. Derek takes her to her room and shuts her up with a kiss, whispering goodnight. Her eyes flutter around the spot he stood as he walks to her door.<p>

"Oh and Derek?" she suddenly calls, causing him to turn around halfway out her doorframe. Derek watches her lips curve into a cunning smirk that briefly makes him forget where the hell he was.

"I think you already know how I feel about you," she finished, eyes yet again boring into his. He really wants to close the door and ravish her in kisses, but thinks better of it as he hears Edwin turning in his bed above them.

"Yeah. Figured it out when you didn't hit me. The blow to the head doesn't count," he replied, rubbing the back of his head in recollection. She smiles and so does he.

When they head off to college that fall, (none of them acknowledging their relationship to their parents just yet) Casey doesn't ask to see him anymore. Her hands graze his face whenever they want, however they want, and wherever they went. He can touch her without having to use control or kiss her without the paranoia of parents. When they walk around campus and her arms are wrapped around his left or right arm for guidance, he wears the biggest smile. When the college girls flirt with him, he ignores their attempts and seeks out the only girl who couldn't fall for his looks. When other males dabble with her, Derek goes out of his way to pull an Alfred Eisenstaedt photo and kiss her fervently in public (she never knew they were standing in the middle of campus). When their baby brother is born, he holds her hand in the waiting room as Marti curls into his lap and Lizzie's head is resting in hers. And when she cries because the realization of a shared sibling hits and she worries about their parents possible disapproval of their affection, he cradles her face as he wipes the tears from her cheeks and whispers 'I love you' against her skin over and over till she falls asleep. Their lives are uncertain and unmanageable. It's rocky and full of obstacles that never seem to end.

But Derek loves every moment of it.

**Ooo**

**I had trouble again but hopefully it came out Ok. Thank you for reading and putting up with my absence. All you reviewers are awesome and I give you all hugs! Don't worry I'll continue writing. I have an idea in my head for a new story so I'll post it when I can! **

**Low Entropy **


End file.
